


Sleeping Beauty

by Angeluscaligo



Category: Sleeping Beauty (Fairy Tale)
Genre: Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tale Style, Other, True Love, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 21:51:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5065660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angeluscaligo/pseuds/Angeluscaligo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My own take on the classic story, adapted to more modern standards yet with the same message.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping Beauty

In a Kingdom long ago, long since hidden in the mists of Time unending,  
A king and queen fair celebrated happily the naming of their child on its christening day.  
Long had they wished a child and heir for their kingdom to prosper.  
In joy, 12 fairies had been invited, each responsible for a Way of Nature, each bore 1 gift.  
The day did approach and from far away, many did came to bless this child of marvel.

As all vassals and nobles of all the kingdom had thus arrived, crowding the castle’s halls,  
And the twelve fairies were seated on their table, each given a gilded craft of their choosing, the naming did begin.

Aurore Briarr Rose the child was called, for the Dawn it would bring & the beauty is did bear and the fairies began blessing the heir with their gifts. As the sun outside slowly darkened, clouds did gather.  
6 Fairies had given their gift yet as another thus arrived, a fairy uninvited, long thought dead after it had retreated in a blackened tower decades ago, bearing down from the storm full clouds that had gathered outside.

A 13th fairy, who led all frost of winter beginning, who bore ice as cloak and planted snow deep in its step, with horned scalp and blackened scaly skin, glaring eyes of yellow cold.  
As the fairy seated too, after much arousal of exited crowds, another 5 fairies did gave their blessing to the child, frightful and stuttering, blessing it with quick wit, good memory, eloquent speech, luscious beauty and perfect health a plenty.  
Before however the 12th fairy could speak, the 13th did rose and presented unto the child its own gift, a curse towards the ungraceful kingly pair, for missing its presence there.

“Great and fair this child shall indeed grow, with golden hair like the sun, lips that shame the red red rose, with great music in its heart and splendour in its path, but by its 16th day of name, it shall depart its usual ways and stray.  
A spindle shall be on this path on which it shall prick a finger, only to fall in a sleep everlasting, alike death. So is the punishment for those who scorn & invoke my wrath.”

Terrified by this omen, the king fear stricken did declare his guards to kill this fairy,  
Only for them to be blown away from their places as a great storm invaded the halls with great wind and hail, bearing the fairy away in the night.  
At last, the 12th fairy stepped forward towards the grieve stricken king and queen, bearing the last gift to bestow upon the child, hoping to soften the curse;

“A curse so great I can’t undo, but what I can, I show to you.  
On that name day of this poor child, a spindle it will indeed prick,  
But not everlasting sleep it will bring, not eternal but for a time,  
Until at last, a loving heart will kiss this child upon the lips,  
As then this dreadful curse will break and the child awaken,  
To live out a better life still.”

As the words were spoken, the clouds did flee, a ray of sun alighting the child’s crib as it opened its eyes for the first, smiling at the fairy. The king and queen did thank the 12th and those assembled there, for their gifts & blessings fair.  
Fearful still for the heir’s curse, the king declared upon all to hear that no spindle should remain in the kingdom. A great bonfire was made that evening out of all the feared spindles, the king hoping none was missed.

Near to 16 years did eventually pass, every year as many spindles as found were burned but still some remained unseen. The child had grown too, splendid and fair for all to see.  
With hair flowing like golden sun and lips a shade of darkest red, a skin as clear as a mountain stream and winter snow, the child’s beauty was known by all. Its wits too were good, taught by the best of the land in all manner of ways, from baking to philosophy, riding to ruling.

Every year, the fairies did visit too, talking wisely with king, queen and child too, speaking news from beyond the borders and beyond the human world, sharing with the child their love for nature and with the kingly pair where to grow crops best every year.  
Only one remained all year, the 12th that did save the child young.

Beyond the border, the 13th had remained in that blackened tower crumbling, brooding year and year again, waiting for the last to come. As the last year drew to end, once again it stirred and send out the frost once more to claim the falling leaves all across the land.  
16 years were nearing their end and the 13th fairy did leave its tower again.

Departing to the kingly castle, winter did spread first, ice slowly covering the land over several weeks. As the cold did near the castle and the 16th name day was but days away, the kingly pair did fear most for their child yet again. Once again, all spindles were declared to be burned and on the evening before the 16th name day, a great bon lit the courtyard again.

The child did look upon this, like every year but instead to bed, afterwards it drifted off into the dark halls of the castle. The 13th, present yet unseen, did see the child depart its usual ways at last. A soft wind did whisper upon the child, luring it down into the deep of the keep.

As both the kingly pair and 12th fairy on the next day the child not find, a fear gripped their hearts and panicked they searched. At last, after a day of frantic searching, the child was found. But too late, it had been. In a dungeon deep below, the child had wandered upon a rusted spindling wheel. A finger it had pricked and now sleeping it was, a deep deep sleep.

Mourning their child, the king and queen did bring the child into its room and bed, hoping that one day a loving heart would find their child dear.  
Heartbroken by their grief, the 12 fairies did decide a sleep would blanket all the keep until the heart did find. With their magic, a deep sleep took all those of the kingdom and all fell in slumber.

Around the land, to keep it safe from harm of invader & army, the fairies raised a wall so high the clouds did clip, of bristles, barbs and bush, of thorns and roses, of moss and stone. And all around the land, this wall came to be.

Many years passed, more than they could count, when a hunting party did happen upon the wall per chance. Well known to them, they parted again away. But a young prince, just 17 springs rich, did ask what this wall could be.

Explained by its squire, the prince learned the tale of the cursed kingly child and of the slumbering land beyond the thorns. Intrigued by curiosity, by naiveté and youth, the prince did visit the wall again many times after. One day, one of the fairies did see the prince and sensed in him an innocence of life and a wealth of love and honesty. As he did approach the wall once more, now it parted for him by fairy magic.

Stepping through the wall, the first in countless years, he did explore this slumbering land. Walking through frozen fields, with people and beast frozen still in their last task, slumped downward in their sleep, he found the kingly keep at last. Once again, a youth in the castle was lured - by whispering wind, but this time it was the prince, led by the 12th upwards, towards the heirs sleeping quarter. 

Stepping up, towards the highest chamber of the keep, the prince did open the child’s room and stepped inside. There he found, not only the child but also the 13th fairy. Disgruntled by the 12th’s actions, the 13th did converse with the prince.

“Do you hope, young prince, to smile upon this cursed child,  
To waken it with a kiss upon the lips by virtue of your heart?”

The prince did answer he knew not. How could he know if he would love this child, who he never saw before, even still not, as it was hidden by bed curtains. The 13th, having been alone in this land for as many years as the kingdom was frozen, did speak again.

“Then see the child, young prince,  
Come to know its beauty and kiss it.  
Let this curse end at last,  
For all here have suffered enough.  
I not the least.”

As the 13th fairy did open the bed curtains with its magic, watched by the young prince and an unseen 12th, the child at last was known by the young prince. Indeed, it had still its golden hair and red lips, with white skin. Frozen so many years, only few years had burdened anyone in the frozen land and there now lay a child of 18, matured at last by unending sleep.

The young prince however did stoop, bewildered by the beauty before him, but also yet by another fact. Before him, lay upon the bed lay not a princess as many had said upon him but a fair prince, not unlike him. As the 13th did watch the prince react, the 12th too came out of hiding at last.

“Fear not, young prince, for this boy. Sleep alone was not the curse, but fear and doubt too. Only one who would love the kingly child by all odds could posses a loving heart strong enough to break it. Surely you, who are strong and smart, possessing both wit and skill, are not deterred by such details?”

Yes, indeed, the prince was not – but how can a prince love a prince? This oddity was not normal, a prince should wed a princess always. Confused, the prince did not speak in answer. He only asked how one is supposed to love one of equal gender.

“Why should the body of one decide how to love the heart? Do you not love your brothers? Or your father? One can love all, no matter the appearances they bear, for love is blind, child, and love is always eternal.”

The 13th did not speak, instead merely watched. Yes, indeed, the child had changed by the curse, from a young princess into a young prince – though none around the child had ever noticed. Subtle magic takes long and time was no issue. Love, indeed, is love, no matter the appearance you posses.

The prince too did think this. Reluctant, uneasy, he did step forward towards the sleeping beauty before him. Bowing over the slumbering prince on the bed, a soft kiss he did share. A kiss so soft as to make a snowflake melt and a soft wind stir. A wind that grew stronger and stronger outside the castle keep, thawing after countless years the frozen land in the walls. All fairies too did sense this change and decided the wall to wither away.

No sooner had the prince ended the kiss or the sleeping child did open his eyes as blue as ice to stare into the prince’s gaze. From outside, a soft breeze flew in, hair waving from it.

“So, “ the waking beauty whispered, “you are the loving heart that would end my slumber long.” A smile did form upon their lips as the prince did share a soft kiss again before answering the one below him. “It dost seem that way, sleeping beauty.”

The 13th, its curse ended by this kiss, did not qualm or fear, instead merely went. Countless years, the lands were frozen, an unending winter that was no winter. Now it was time for a long long spring to follow. Its revenge has been found & no hatred any longer flowed, so a sleep now was its way.

As the land did live again and the king and queen rejoiced over the curse’s end, a grand celebration was erected. And for many weeks, the lands feasted as surrounding lands too rejoiced. Eventually, the two princes did live together, not as a married couple but as the closest and dearest of friends, sharing life together as well as bed. Eventually, the prince formerly a sleeping beauty did stir a child in a princess but all-in the lands knew that the kingdom was led not by a king and queen, but by two graceful & witted princes.

And all was well that would be well…

**Author's Note:**

> A more whimsical style of writing was used, based more on traditional fairytale-writing than my usual style.


End file.
